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A non-profit publication of the Office of the University Relations of Virginia Tech,
including The Conductor, a special section of the Spectrum printed 4 times a year

Spring Road restoration on hold

By Netta S. Smith

Spectrum Volume 19 Issue 24 - March 20, 1997

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is still seeking approval to
re-open Spring Road on the university campus. According to J.B. Sutphin,
division head of Site and Infrastructure Development, the university is ready
to proceed with the work whenever approval is granted.

Plans call for the new Spring Road to be aligned with Tech Center Drive, the
road leading to the Corporate Research Center.

The engineering work has been ongoing ever since the university took out
Spring Road for the south development construction. University officials agreed
that, should it be decided to put the road back, they wanted to be ready.

All engineering and other planning work has been completed.

If approved, the work to re-open Spring Road will take two to three months,
depending on the weather. University planners say they hope to be able to do
the work in the summer when the area is not as congested with traffic as it is
in the fall.

If approval is not granted soon, the university will miss a construction
season and may have to put plans on hold until next summer.

Although university planners have no definite information about what is
holding up approval for VDOT to begin the work, two key factors are funding,
which will have to be worked out in Richmond, and the workload of other
projects already approved.